To Save a Life
by ZeDancingHobbit
Summary: Sweet, innocent little Raf should be the last person ever to be hurt like this. But he was, and Jack and the team may not be able to save him this time. Raf!Whump. T for violence. Two-shot. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So, this is my first Transformers: Prime fanfic, and I hope you like it! You know, I really love cute, innocent Raf, but...the cute, innocent ones are the most whumpable. You know? So yeah. Shameless Raf!Whump. :3 **

**This is dedicated to my aunt, StarBee20, who got me hooked on the show. ._. **

**Enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TFP. Written purely for the enjoyment of my slightly morbid, violent, strange side. O.o**

**It was a normal day at the Autobot base. **

Bumblebee and Raf were conversing about computer terms unfathomable to the others, Arcee and Jack were discussing homework and girls (at the same time), and Miko was attempting to show Bulkhead some of her favorite "music".

"What is that?" Bulkhead complained, covering up his audio receptors with his servos.

"It's dubstep!" Miko answered, bobbing her head happily along to the music. "It's awesome!"

"It's painful," he retorted, shaking his head.

"Oh, hush," Miko ordered, looking miffed as she shut off her iPod speakers. "You just don't know music."

"Oh, I know music," Bulkhead snorted, "and that was definitely not it."

Miko rolled her eyes as Optimus walked into the room, followed by Ratchet. "Bumblebee, Bulkhead, I need you to go on recon," he rumbled, the floor thudding underneath his massive pedes.

"Sure," Bulkhead replied as Bumblebee whirred in agreement.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh ooh ooh ooh!" Miko raised her hand up and down fanatically.

"Yes, Miko?" Optimus asked, looking slightly weary.

"Can I come too?" Miko begged, nearly jumping up and down in excitement.

Optimus glanced at Bulkhead, who merely shrugged. "I suppose. But you must follow Bulkhead's every order. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." Miko saluted and wiggled. Recon was the best.

"Ooh! Can I come too?" Raf asked, jumping up from his sitting position.

"Sure," Bulkhead agreed. "Jack, you wanna tag along?"

"I guess," Jack answered. "Sounds fun."

"I'll see you later, then," Arcee said as she stood up. "I'm going to go offline for a while."

"Bye," Jack called as Arcee waved goodbye and left the room, doors closing with a thud.

Ratchet powered up the bridge, and the two autobots and trio of teens made their way through the green, swirling portal.

With a whoosh, they stepped out into the desert, confident all was right. The surrounding desert was completely peaceful, the only sound being a green mini-van tooting its way down the highway. All in all, a perfect, quiet afternoon.

"...So," Miko finally interrupted the silence. "This is exciting."

"Why does it have to be loud?" Raf questioned. "Can't it just be...not dubstep for once?"

"Again, with the dubstep!" Miko groaned. "Can we just drop it?"

Raf simply shrugged and turned away, deciding the leave the subject alone. It wasn't worth arguing about, anyways. He turned about and slipped inside Bumblebee, who had transformed into car mode. The others followed suit, jumping inside Bulkhead. They zoomed off, keeping an eye out for any Decepticon activity. Just a normal recon.

They paused on a plain, stopping to take in the beauty of the desert and the perfectly poised rocks. Raf sighed. "Kind of make you feel lucky to be alive, huh, Bee?"

Bumblebee whirred in agreement, rumbling idly as they drank in the sight.

"I'm going to get out a minute. Is that okay?"

The yellow transformer opened his car door by way of permission, and Raf hopped out. He whistled, hands in his pockets, as the others did the same and the Autobots transformed out of vehicle mode.

"Prettu, huh?" Jack asked. The other two nodded, and Miko snapped a picture on her bright pink phone.

"Ugh, stupid hands!" she snarled, deleting the picture and trying again.

"Why are you shaking?"

"Woah, that's weird," Raf commented.

"What?" Jack asked.

"I'm shaking too." Raf reached out to Jack to steady himself, only to find the sixteen year old was doing the same thing.

"I don't think that's us," Jack said slowly.

"What are you talking about?" A feeling of fear was slowly growing in the pit of his stomach.

"I think..." Jack swallowed. "I think it's the ground."

Raf looked at the ground with big eyes. The ground? Was it an earthquake? This was not a good spot to be caught in an earthquake. His attention was soon diverted, however, by the sound of whirring and stomping. The ground continued to shake, pounding underneath their feet.

"Uh, guys?" Miko called. "I think we should go hide." Se pointed behind them. They turned around to witness a group of about 30 Deceptions, all ready for blood.

"Oh, scrap," Jack and Raf whispered at the same time.

It was silent for a few moments, both sides staring each other down. Neither was willing to make the first move, but both knew it was inevitable. The question was only when the conflict would begin.

"Uh, Optimus?" Bulkhead said into his comm. "I think we're gonna need some backup."

The decepticons, hearing Bulkhead call for backup, apparently decided to try and kick as much butt as possible before Optimus showed up with Arcee. They pulled out their guns, purple lights blazing, and the kids just barely had time to duck behind the Autobots before they fired.

"Run!" Jack screamed as the first bullets flew, pelting the sand. It flew up around their legs as they ran away, heading for a small cluster of rocks to hide behind. A whirring sound was heard, and soon they saw Optimus and Arcee step out of the ground bridge, guns already out. They quickly stepped into the fray, Optimus taking down two and three at a time alone.

The conflict slowly made its way toward the kids, however unintentionally. The battling bots simply had no control over where they put their pedes, leading them slowly towards the trio hiding behind the rocks.

"Miko, get back here!" Jack ordered as he grabbed her shirt to drag her backwards.

"Aw, but it's cool!" she pouted, jerking herself free to peer around the rock again. "Woah!" She ducked as a splinter of metal flew over her head, wedging itself in the sand about ten feet away.

"Great. Yet another thing to add to the list of thing that could kill us," Jack grumbled, pulling her back once more. "Miko, I'm not kidding!"

"Jack, we might need to move soon," Raf told him, looking slightly worried. "The fight is coming this way, and I'd rather not be squashed."

"Me neither," Jack agreed. "Where should we go?"

"What about over there?" Miko suggested, pointing to a large cluster of rocks.

"Miko, that's too far away," Jack argued. "We need somewhere closer."

"It's the biggest, most protective group here," Miko countered, hands on her hips. "You want protection, and I give it to you."

"Yeah, but to get there, we have to go all the way around a raging battle." Jack sighed and ran a nervous hand through his hair. "There's a hefty chance to get caught."

"Well, if I may, we can stay here and almost certainly get caught," Raf interjected, "or leave and possibly get caught, but probably get to certain protection."

Miko smirked and looked at Jack. "Well?" she pressed. "What's it gonna be?"

Jack groaned. "Well, when you put it that way..." He pointed a finger at Miko. "But if I die or get captured by Decepticons, I'm blaming you."

Miko laughed. "Deal."

Jack studied the ensuing battle from behind the rock, letting the others join him. "When should we go?"

"Well, if we time it right, we should be able to duck around legs and rocks," Raf said. "Hopefully we make it."

"I guess..." Jack answered, still not sure. "I have a bad feeling about this, guys."

"Oh, whatever," Miko blew him off. "Stop being such a girl."

Jack gaped. "A girl? You think I'm being a girl?" he sputtered. "Listen-"

"Nope!" Miko laughed. "Let's go!" And she ran out from behind the safety of the rocks.

"Miko!" Jack shouted, trying to grab her.

"Come on, it's no use," Raf told him. "Let's go."

Jack grimaced, grabbed Raf's hand, and started pumping his legs after Miko.

It was slightly tough work, trying not be smushed on the battlefield. They had to dodge flying bots, bullets, metal, sand, rocks, and pedes, all while making their way to the other side of the field. It was fine for a little while, but the closer they got to their intended desitination, the worse the battle became.

"Why did I ever let Miko talk me into this?!" Jack snarled, pulling Raf out of the way of a rock. "Move, Raf!"

"I'm trying!" Raf snapped. "My legs aren't that long, you know!" He stumbled over a rock and fell, accidentally letting go of Jack's hand. "Nngh!"

"Come on, Raf! We're almost there!" Miko called. "Just a little furthur!" She sprinted and dodged behind the rocks. "Yes!"

Jack dashed backwards and pulled Raf upwards. "Come on!" The two boys pumped their legs, willing the appendages to move faster. They huffed as they approached the rocks. Almost there...almost...

"Jack, watch out!" Raf cried out as a piece of metal hurtled towards the teen, threatening to slice him open. Without thinking, the small boy jumped and shoved him out of the way, the metal embedding itself in his stomach instead. His scream of agony echoed throughout the field, catching Bumblebee's audio receptor. He turned towards his charge with a concerned whirr, but was distracted by a Decepticon. He would have to get Raf in a minute.

Jack scrambled up from where he had stumbled and fallen after Raf pushed him. He couldn't move; couldn't breath. It was as if a 5,000 pound weight of shock had settled on his chest and wouldnt leave. He looked at the crumpled form on the sand; Raf had fallen into a fetal position and was clutching at his wound as blood spilled between his fingers.

It was the blood that caught his eye. It was quickly staining Raf's brown sweater-vest a dark red and coloring the sand around him a lighter shade. That was what snapped him out of his stupor.

"Oh, my gosh, Raf!" he screamed, running and kneeling by the fallen boy. "Can you hear me?" he questioned, noticing Raf's squeezed shut eyes.

Raf moaned and opened his eyes, to Jack's immense relief. "Yeah," he managed to choke out.

"Okay, we need to move you, okay?" Jack said, heart racing. This wasn't good, not good at all. How was he supposed to move Raf AND keep him alive? He tried to reach out to touch the wound, but Raf shrunk away and moved Jack's hands back.

"Hurts," he groaned.

"I know, but I need to see it," Jack answered. "Miko!" he shouted back to the rocks. "Get over here!" He turned back to Raf as the Asian girl ran to them. She sucked in her breath as she kneeled.

"This isn't good," she said worriedly.

"Really?" Jack asked sarcastically. "I would never have guessed that a stab wound in the stomach was bad!"

"No need to get mad, I was just-"

"Miko, please be quiet!" Jack snapped. When she shut her mouth with a hurt air, he continued, "We need to get him over to the rocks. I need you to take off your tank to help staunch the bleeding."

Miko nodded and obliged, stripping off her tank top and handing it to Jack, leaving her in her t-shirt. Jack grabbed it and placed it around the metal. Raf shuddered in pain, face turning a shade paler. His blood-stained hands made fists.

"All right," Jack said, "I'm gonna pick him up. You hold that shirt in place and run with me. Got it?"

Miko nodded and placed her hands on the shirt. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Get set, go!" Jack ordered. He scooped up Raf bridal style, letting his arms hang down. Raf cried out as his wound was jolted, but Jack had no choice but to grit his teeth and move on. He tried to run as fast as he could without leaving Miko behind, while getting to the rocks in a timely manner. Sure enough, they reached them quickly, and Jack laid Raf down as gently as possible.

"Raf, are you still there?" he asked, worry etching into his voice.

Raf groaned. "Yeah." His voice was tight, and his eyes squeezed shut again. His face was even paler now, causing Jack's stomach to twist.

"I gotta look at the wound, okay?"

"No, please," Raf answered, holding his hands around the quickly-turning-red shirt.

"Miko?" Jack asked, staring pointedly at Raf's hands.

Miko sighed and gently moved his hands away. "Sorry."

Jack sucked in his breath at the sight of the injury. The piece of metal was, as far as Jack could tell, about the size of a hand from fingertips to the bottom of the palm. It was embedded solidly in the stomach, just below the navel, and was causing a good deal of blood flow. The edges were serrated, the result of being torn from the bot's body. That would make some trouble coming out, he had a feeling. Blood came welling upwards again, so Jack replaced the shirt. He put his head in his red hands, trying to think of a good course of action.

"What do we do?" Miko asked.

"I don't know," Jack answered. "I really don't."

"Shouldn't we take it out?"

"I don't think so. That might cause more harm than good if there's internal bleeding." Jack studied the blood soaked cloth. Scrap, there was so much blood. So much blood.

"Yeah, but that's with earth weapons. I don't think we should leave anything from a Decepticon in his system. You never know what might be on it," Miko pointed out.

"We can't take it out, Miko, it might kill him," Jack countered.

"Well, he might die with it in his stomach as well," Miko snapped.

"Hey, don't get snippy with me," Jack ordered, "it's not my fault we're here right now."

"Oh, so it's mine?" Miko argued.

"Well, I said we should stay back at the rocks over there!"

"Yeah, and get squashed!" Miko's voice started rising.

"And look where coming over here got us!" Jack's voice rose to match hers. "Raf might die!"

"So get the metal out!"

"I can't do that!"

"So let me!"

Their argument was interrupted by a moan from Raf. They looked down at him. He was a truly pitiful sight.

"Jack, please?" Miko whispered. "You need to take it out."

Jack exhaled. He was surprised to feel tears at the back of his throat. "Miko..."

"We have to," she told him. "Who knows what a Decepticon metal could do to him? It might have dark energon on it or something."

"Alright." Jack's voice was grim as he remembered an earlier time, when Raf had been affected by dark energon. "Let's do it. Raf?" he called. "We need to take the metal out."

"No, please don't," Raf begged, pushing Jack's hands away. Tiny, crystalline tears leaked out of the edges of his eyes as he opened them.

"Sorry, but I gotta do it," Jack answered.

"No," Raf pleaded, gripping the shirt. "It hurts!"

"Raf," Miko interrupted. She held the sides of his head in her hands, turning his gaze to meet hers. "You gotta be strong, Raf. Okay? Bumblebee is strong. Optimus is strong. Jack's strong. You need to be strong too, okay?" Her stare was gentle, yet firm. "It's going to hurt, but it's for the best. If we leave it in, it might cause a lot of damage. And we can't have that. Okay?"

Raf hesitated before he nodded. Miko glanced at Jack as a way to say 'go ahead' before placing her hands on Raf's shoulders. "Just in case he fights," she whispered to Jack. He nodded and peeled away the blood soaked clothing, before changing his mind. He replaced it, then took off his own.

"We need a new one," he told Miko. He undid the tank again and set it in the ground. "Ready?" he asked. Raf gave a small nod and tensed up. "Relax," Jack ordered. "On three. One...two..." He breathed in deep and pulled. "Three!" The sliver of metal came out with a sickly slurping sound, causing new blood to well up.

Raf's cry of pain rent the air, causing tears to sting Jack's eyes. He quickly placed his tee-shirt on the injury and pressed to stem the blood flow. The small boy cringed in pain, hands finding Jack's. His fearful eyes looked into Jack's.

"Am I going to die?" he whispered.

Jack hesitated before answering. "I don't...no," he said, building force behind his words. "No, you're going to be fine. We'll just get the Autobots, and we'll take you home, and..." He trailed off as Raf's eyes started drooping. "No, no no no no," Jack pleaded, "Raf! Open your eyes!"

Raf's eyes snapped open with an apologetic look. "'M tired," he mumbled.

Jack looked at Miko. "Take the shirt," he ordered. "I need to go get Optimus." The teen stood up and let Miko scoot into his space. "Don't let him go to sleep," he told her. "I'm pretty sure that's bad."

Miko nodded as he took off sprinting, but slowed down to a jog as he entered the battle. He caught a glimpse of Optimus' distinctive red and blue churning up dust as he fought with the 'Cons.

"Optimus!" Jack screamed as he ran in his direction, dodging flying pedes. "Optimus!"

"What's wrong, Jack?" Optimus grunted as he shouldered his opponent into another bot.

"Raf got-WOAH!" Jack jumped as a bullet hit the ground 6 inches away from his feet. "Raf got stabbed!"

"What?" Optimus shot a Decepticon, sending it flying. "How is he?"

"He's not-" Jack swallowed. "He's not doing too good. Optimus, he's gonna die if we don't bridge back really soon."

"And it doesn't look as if we will win this battle in a timely fashion," Optimus rumbled. Another shot. "Autobots! Roll out!"

The Autobots, heeding their leader's words, transformed and retreated. Jack dashed back to the rocks, shoved Miko aside, and scooped up Raf. "Come on," he called over his shoulder as Raf gave a strangled cry. Miko ran after them.

Raf's breathing sounded terrible. He wheezed and coughed, chest bouncing up and down erratically. Jack's heart gave a jolt when he saw a thin trickle of blood from the small mouth. His eyes were slightly glazed, his face almost completely white.

"Bee?" he wheezed. "Jack, where's Bee?"

"He's coming," Jack huffed.

"I want Bee," Raf whimpered. Jack was reminded of a two-year-old who had skinned his knee. Injury must multiply with age, he thought grimly. The thought made his feet fly faster.

A whirring next to him made him turn his head, as Bee pulled up and opened up his door. Jack immediately jumped in, sitting down. "Told you he was coming," he panted to Raf.

Raf gave a small smile and softly traced the seat. "Hey, Bee," he whispered, and Bee replied with a concerned beep.

"He's gonna be okay," Jack replied. Having no idea what Bee just said, that was the best he could do at the moment. "He'll be okay." I hope, he silently added.

They entered the green tunnel, zooming back to base with a flash. The bots hurried out, Jack opening the door and carrying Raf out. The boy by now was completely unconscious, though still breathing. Jack passed him out to the now-transformed Bumblebee, who ran towards a prepared gurney-bed.

"I'm going to call my Mom," he called over his shoulder as he grabbed his phone.

As he punched in the number, the only thing he could do was pray that Raf would be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

Brrr, brrrr, brrrr...

"Cone on, come on," Jack hissed into his phone. "Pick up, Mom!"

"Hello?" His mother's voice sounded like angels singing.

"Mom, thank god you picked up-"

"Hi Jack! Listen, do you want tuna or-"

"Mom, you need to get down here right now," Jack interrupted without thought. Raf's life was on the line, and she was talking about tuna? "It's urgent."

"Why, what's the matter?" June's voice snapped to attention.

"It's Raf," Jack whispered into the phone, fear suddenly clogging his throat. "It's Raf, and he got-I don't think-I tried, Mom-he's not-"

"Jack, honey, you need to calm down. Okay? Calm down and tell me what's wrong."

Jack breathed in, hands trembling as they gripped his phone. "We were out with the bots, and there was an accidental fight, and...and..." Jack had to steel himself to keep from throwing up, or crying. "Raf got stabbed."

June drew in a sharp intake of breath. "How bad is it?"

"It's bad. Mom, it's real bad."

"Honey, I'm a nurse, not a surgeon, he needs to get to the hospital!"

"Mom, he's going to die!" Jack practically screamed into the phone, frustration and terror infiltrating his voice. All frenzied work behind him immediately ceased, and he could feel five pairs of optics and one pair of eyes burrowing into his back. He hushed his voice. "He's going to die if you don't get here soon."

A sigh. "Jack, I'm not qualified to take care of him. Have Ratchet bridge you and him behind the hospital. It's the only way he's going to survive. I'm still at work. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Jack grimaced, but had to admit that his mother was right. "Okay. And Mom?"

"Yes?"

He couldn't speak for a moment. "...Hurry."

"Will do." June hung up without saying anything else, and Jack snapped his phone shut. The work had resumed around Raf, and Jack stuffed his phone into his pocket before continuing towards the others. He quickly stooped down to tie his shoe, and that was when Miko's frantic voice reached his ears.

"JACK!"

"Huh? What's the matter?" Jack called back, not bothering to finish tying his shoe. He shot up, running to reach her.

"Raf's not breathing!"

His heart stopped. Literally stopped. It was like ice had invaded Jack's veins, stiffening his joints. No. No no no no no. Please no. Fear leant wings to his legs, and he crossed the room in a record time, stumbling over his loose shoelace a few times.

Miko was frantically shaking Raf. "Come on, Raf, come on!"

Jack shoved Miko out of the way and gripped the small boy's shoulders. "Wake up, man! Come on!" he had to shout around a steadily increasing lump in his throat. "Miko, h-hold the shirt."

Miko placed her hand on the shirt, still soaking up blood, as Jack pumped Raf's chest. One, two, three. Placing his lips on Raf's, Jack gagged on the coppery taste of slick blood. Forcing his breakfast to stay down where it belonged, he breathed in Raf's mouth. He waited. Nothing. Jack grimaced and pumped his chest again. "Come on, Raf! Don't do this!" Pump, pump, pump. He fought the urge to start sobbing as he gave Raf more air. "Come on, don't DO this!" Pump, pump, pump. Gag. Breath.

Jack jumped back as Raf drew in a sharp wheeze of air, the hoarse sound filling the room again.

Miko laughed. "You did it!"

Jack sighed and fingered his temples. Don't puke, don't puke. "We..." he steadied himself. "We need to get him ready to go to the hospital."

"Will your mother be meeting you there?" Optimus inquired, bending down on one knee.

"Yeah. Ratchet needs to bridge us to the back or something, and then we'll carry him inside." Jack maneuvered his arms around Raf's torso and lifted him into the air, the younger boy crying out, though still unconscious. Bumblebee lunged forward, only to be stopped by Bulkhead. Jack panted as Ratchet opened the ground bridge. As he was about to step towards it, Optimus stopped him.

"Jack."

"*Huff* *huff* Yeah?"

"Be strong." Optimus had a kind, yet firm look in his bright blue optics. Just looking into them made Jack feel strong again.

"Will do." He turned around and jogged to the ground bridge. "I'll be back!" he called, then continued on his way.

Whether Raf would come back, well...that was anyone's guess.

OoOoO

Stepping through the swirling green bridge, Jack and Miko found themselves in an alleyway begin the hospital. Ratchet really was amazing. June was standing next to the dumpster, and she ran towards him.

"Let me see," she ordered curtly, brushing aside greetings. Jack tried to shift his arms as best as he could to give his mother a better viewpoint, but with his arms feeling like noodles, it was slightly difficult.

June sucked in her breath. "Oh, Raf," she whispered as she lifted up the blood-soaked shirt. Raf moaned, and she put it back down. "He's lost too much blood. We need to get him in there now."

Jack nodded and began running towards the hospital. It became a struggle just to lift his leaden feet, but he forced himself to keep going for Raf. He would never forgive himself if Raf didn't make it.

They reached the automatic glass doors that led to the Emergency Room, and as they slid open, he yelled out, "Somebody get a doctor! We need a doctor, now!"

Inquisitive heads turned, and all faces showed signs of shock. Mothers turned young children's heads away from the ghastly sight of Jack carrying the blood-covered, white, barely breathing Raf. Jack was no better. It looked like he had decided to take a bath in blood that morning, his whole torso soaked and his hands and arms as well. Miko, as well, had blood covering her arms and hands. They looked like something that had just stepped out of a Saw movie. Ghastly.

"I need a doctor, STAT!" June screamed out, along with a bunch of other medical technical terms that Jack had no idea what they meant, and the ER burst into motion. Doctors came rushing out of swinging double doors, pushing a gurney and IV. They snatched Raf from Jack and placed him on the bed, sticking needles in his arms and running as other doctors asked quick questions. "What happened? What was he stabbed with? What's his name?" Jack had to struggle to come up with answers, managing to stammer out something about being near a construction sight and some metal breaking or something (later, he would slap himself mentally for this horrific excuse). In literally under a minute, the doctors had disappeared with Raf, leaving the trio to be patient in the waiting room.

The three sighed and sat down in the sticky plastic chairs, floral print contrasting strangely with the red on Jack and Miko's hands. That was it.

With a gurgle and a lurch, Jack rushed to a trash can and heaved the contents of his stomach into it, vomit splashing upwards and hitting the plastic sides. With every opening of his eyes, his vision was filled with images of Raf's blood on his hands, only adding to the horror and grotesqueness of it all, and only serving to make his stomach lurch even more. Soon, there was nothing left, and he was left to stagger shakily back to his seat.

June placed her hand on his back, between his shoulder blades, an rubbed soothingly. "It's okay," she whispered, "it's alright."

Jack placed his head in his hands and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. This was so messed up. "It should be me," he whispered hoarsely.

"What?" June asked, leaning closer to him. "Honey, no it-"

"No, he moved me out of the way," Jack continued, voice still raspy. "If he hadn't-he wouldn't-"

"Jack," June interrupted her son, firmly, yet gently, "you CANNOT think like that. Do you understand me?"

"No, you understand me, mom," Jack snapped, standing up and whirling around to face her, "if it wasn't for me, Raf wouldn't be in there." He almost couldn't continue, angry tears starting to spark around the corners of his eyes. "He wouldn't be..." He swallowed, turning away. "...I'm going to go wash off." Jack stalked away, not willing to let himself collapse into sobs in the middle of the waiting room. He looked strange enough already.

Locating a restroom, he entered and situated himself at a sink. After turning the water to a comfortable warm, he lathered his arms and hands up with soap and doused then in the warm liquid. The steam rose, filling his nostrils and clearing away the fog in his head a small bit. It was a welcome change.

After washing his body off as best as he could, he turned the water off and tried not to watch as particles of Raf's dried blood floated down the drain. He didn't want to vomit again. He glanced up in the mirror and had to steady himself as his stomach lurched again. Sighing, he had to turn on the water once. Cautiously, with a shaking hand, he reached up to his mouth and wiped away the dried blood on his mouth and chin from when he had done mouth-to-mouth on Raf. He spat some of the water out, not relishing the idea of even more of Raf's blood in his mouth.

The brown paper towels served to dry him off somewhat, and he headed outside again to the waiting room. When he arrived, his mother handed him a shirt from a lair of scrubs. "I managed to snag this for you," she told her son gently. "I thought you might want to change out of that one."

Jack nodded and took the shirt. "Thanks, mom." He knew he was forgiven for snapping at her earlier. "Where's Miko?"

"Changing. I got one for her too."

"Oh." Jack turned around and ease back to the bathroom to change. "Thanks." Five minutes later, he stepped out of the stall and was about to leave when he heard sobbing. Confused, he checked all the empty stalls, but he was the only one in the restroom. That was odd... He walked outside once more, to be met by the sight of Miko, facing the wall outside the women's restroom, head buried in her hands and crying furiously.

Jack was at a loss. It was hard enough dealing with his own emotions, but to deal with Miko's would be virtually impossible. Still, he couldn't just leave her here. Optimus wouldn't leave a friend to grieve, he reminded himself. He hesitated a moment, then stepped forward. "Hey," he said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Miko jumped and whirled around, scrubbing her eyes and wiping her nose. "Hi," she repeated glumly, her nose stopped up. "What do you want?"

"Uh, I noticed...uh..." Oh no. Bad idea. What was he supposed to say? He sighed, and simply held his arms out. "C'mere."

Miko crossed her arms and looked away. "I'm fine." She sniffed and wiped her nose, not meeting Jack's eyes.

"No, you're not. Come here."

Miko grumbled under her breath, but reluctantly stepped forward and leaned into Jack, her arms carefully encircling his waist. Her body was stiff, like a volcano that wanted to explode.

"Hey," Jack whispered into her hair, "it's okay to cry."

Miko gave a hiccup and buried her head in his chest, hugging him tighter. He returned the favor, squeezing her gently. She tensed up for a moment, then suddenly burst into fresh sobs, back shaking as she released her emotions into his chest. "It's my fault," she cried, voice slightly muffled.

Jack looked down. "Huh?"

"It's my fault Raf got hurt," she repeated, voice interspersed with sobs. "If I hadn't insisted we leave the rock, we wouldn't have gone, and...and..." She broke down into tears again, back shaking.

"Hey," Jack murmured, "it's not your fault."

Miko responded by shaking her head. "Yes, it is!"

"Miko, look at me." Jack held her out at arms's length, though she kept her head hung. "It's not your ? He took the..." He paused and looked down. It was still painful to even say. "The metal for me. Did he push you put of the way? No. He pushed me." Tears clogged his throat, obstructing his voice. He had to clear it loudly before he could even think of continuing. "I should've run faster, or some something different. Not you. You know what? You were right."

Miko's head snapped up, puffy eyes confused. "W-what?"

"If we had stayed, we would've been toast. You were right. " He smiled sadly and rubbed her shoulder. "It's not your fault."

Miko hiccuped and wiped her nose. "Jack...what if...what if..." Her face crumpled again and she buried her head in her hands.

"Hey, hey hey hey, don't even say that." Jack gripped her shoulders harder, giving her a small shake. "You can't think like that, okay? That's just gonna make it worse."

Miko shuddered and wiped her eyes, then gave a small nod. "Okay," she repeated in a whisper.

Jack rubbed her shoulder soothingly, expressing his sympathy without words. Miko's shoulders shook slightly, but she managed to look into his eyes.

"Should we go back?"

Jack shrugged. "I s'pose."

Miko gave a halfhearted smile and turned in the direction of the waiting room, Jack joining her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "It'll be okay," he whispered in her ear. Her only response was a slight nod and hesitant sniff. They rounded the corner and caught a glimpse of June hanging up her cellphone. As they approached, she asked, "Do any of you know how to get ahold of Mr. or Mrs. Esquivel apart from phones?"

"Why?" Jack replied, sliding onto a seat and closing his eyes.

"Agent Fowler hasn't been able to get ahold of them. It seems they've both gone on one of Mr. Esquivel's business trips to Italy. They won't answer their phones."

"Have you tried calling Raf's siblings?"

"Tried. Nobody is answering there either."

Jack sighed. "I don't know then." A great weariness suddenly enveloped him, paralyzingly his legs and making his head sag backwards. All he wanted to do was sleep for ages.

June leaned over and touched a piece of his hair, moving it off his forehead tenderly. "Why don't you get some sleep," she suggested. "He won't be done for a few hours."

Jack nodded wordlessly, simply allowing himself to sink into the black oblivion of sleep. Miko followed soon after.

OoOoO

The hours ticked by endlessly, even after Jack slept for an hour and a half. The clock was relentless in its moving, the infuriating second hand moving constantly. It marked every second that Raf was either dying or living, heart stopping or chest rising. The hour hand slowly, agonizingly slowly picked its way around the black and white sphere. 1 hour. 2. 3.

Finally, 4 hours, 36 minutes and 42 seconds later, a doctor wearing light blue scrubs, a white paper hat, and a mask hanging around his neck stepped out of the double doors. "Rafael Esquivel," he called, looking over a clipboard.

Jack and Miko jumped up as quickly as possible, June following slightly more slowly. "Is Raf okay?" Jack inquired slowly.

"He's out of the woods. Um, are you Rafael's mother?" he asked June, who simply laughed, gave her name, and answered that she was answering for his mom at the moment. "We were successful in transfusing blood and repairing the damage at the same time. You say he was stabbed by a serrated piece of metal?"

Jack nodded, praying their decision to take it out of Raf was the right one.

"Rafael underwent a severe stab wound to his abdomen. However, the metal went only in so far as to cut an intestine slightly. We were able to repair it quickly, so there's no problem with that. If the blade had been left there, however, Raf's movement would have caused the metal to move back and forth, inflicting further damage to his intestine and making the problem a whole lot worse. You did the right thing." The doctor gave a reassuring smile as Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Thank Primus.

"The thing we were extremely worried about, however, was Rafael's loss of blood. He lost massive amounts in proportion to his body structure, because he's so small for his age. 2 minutes later and we wouldn't have been able to do anything."

Both teens glanced at each other, Miko's face blanching a complete white. 2 minutes later...

"He's asleep now, and should wake up within the next few hours. However, I can only let two people in a time to see him, if you wish to do so now. My advice? Go home. Rest up. Change. Eat something. He'll be fine." The doctor smiled at the trio encouragingly. "You did good today. Without you, Raf wouldn't be alive right now."

Jack tried to meet the doctor's gaze, but couldn't bring himself to. Yes, Raf would definitely be alive without them. In fact, he wouldn't even be in the hospital right now. "Thanks, sir," he managed to answer. "Mom, is it-"

"I'm going home," June interrupted him gently. "I'm going to see if I can help get ahold of the Esquivels, and freshen up some. You and Miko can stay here, as long as you stay out of trouble."

"Thanks, Mom," Jack answered. "But I don't think we'll have a problem with that."

Miko rolled her eyes and started walking down the hall. "Come on, slowpoke."

"Uh, it's the other way," the doctor called, amusement creeping into his voice. "Room 276."

Jack smirked. "Who's the slowpoke now?" he inquired as he began down the hall, accompanied by Miko's grumbling.

OoOoO

"He's so...small," Miko whispered. She was lounged over a chair, legs swinging slowly. About three hours had passed, and Raf still hadn't awoken. "I never noticed it before."

Jack nodded, a small huff of air ejecting from his lips. "I know. He's like a baby when you carry him."

"Mmm." Miko settled her neck into her chest, then jumped up. "Hey. What's this?" She lifted a plush teddy bear off the bedside table. It was a small thing, not much bigger than her hand, colored a light brown and displaying "Hospital of Jasper" on its chest.

"Oh, mom says they give those to kids under thirteen when they're in the hospital," Jack replied disinterestedly, laying his head back and closing his eyes. "To help keep them calm. Ya' know."

Miko nodded and tossed it back and forth between her hands, right to left and back again. "Hey, look! I'm juggling!" she giggled.

"I'm pretty sure you need at least two of those to juggle," Jack cut off her celebrations.

"Party pooper," Miko snapped as she stuck out her tongue, not losing a beat in between her tosses.

"Very mature."

Miko launched the bear at Jack's head, hitting him square in the nose. He spluttered and picked up the plush toy and returned the favor, throwing it back in her direction. Miko, being the lithe young teen she was, merely giggled and batted it away. Unfortunately, her aim was slightly off and it was catapulted straight at Raf's face. The small animal flopped onto the sleeping boy's nose and eyes, then tumbled away to land softly on the comforters.

Miko and Jack could only look on in horror.

"Miko..." Jack whispered. "What did you do?"

"You threw it at me!" She hissed in return, unwilling for the blame to fall on her shoulders.

"Wait, shut up!" Jack held up a hand as Raf's nose twitched slightly. Once. Twice. His brow furrowed in his sleep, and his finger jerked upwards.

"Oh, my gosh..." Miko whispered. "I think...I think he might be waking up."

"Miko," Jack snarled.

Raf let loose a slight moan and shifted over to the side slightly. His eyelids fluttered a few times, then slowly opened. "Nngh," he groaned, his eyes trying to focus on the blurry figures in front of him.

"H-hey, Raf," Jack stuttered. "How do you feel?"

Raf simply gave him an owlish stare. "What happened?" He rasped. "Where am I?"

"You're at the hospital," Miko answered gently. "You went into surgery and you're all patched up. How do you feel?"

"Like someone impaled a wooden stake in my stomach," Raf groaned. He studied his surroundings, eyes wandering over the cords and tubes attached to his body, obviously still a bit out of the loop. "How did I get here?"

"Jack carried you here. Mrs. Darby was very quick about getting you a doctor." Miko smiled cheerily.

Jack could barely look Raf in the eye, a deep sense of guilt settling in his gut. Raf looked smaller than ever, and it was all his fault.

Miko, sensing the boys needed some alone time, announced, "Raf, you sound like you swallowed sandpaper. I'm going to get you some water." She stood up, bounced in her toes, and whisked out the door.

A beat passed.

"Raf-" Jack finally ejected, just as Raf started to say something. They both chuckled, Raf's coming out like rocks in a bucket. It sounded horrible.

"You go first," Raf said.

"Uh, well, I..." Gosh, how was he supposed to say this? 'Im sorry you're holed up here in a hospital after losing a ton of blood after throwing yourself in front of a metal shard for me. Now let's go back to normal while you're hooked up to machines and looking like a ghost, k?' Trying again, he managed to stutter out, "Raf, I'm so, so sorry-"

"Don't," Raf interrupted him. "Just don't."

"Wh-what?"

"Don't do that to yourself." Raf studied him soberly, unblinking. "It's not fair to you."

"But it's my fault you're like..." Jack gestures aimlessly at the tubes attached to the smaller boy. "This!"

"No it's not."

That startled him. "Yeah, it is. If you hadn't-"

"Did you make me jump out in front of you?"

"...no."

"Did you threaten me? Did you grab me and push me?"

Jack sighed. "No."

"There," Raf rasped. "It's done. It was my choice, and I did it. Don't blame yourself for my decision." He gave a small smile, eyes tired. "I probably wouldn't do it again..."

Jack chuckled softly. "I wouldn't suggest it."

"But I wouldn't take it back either," Raf continued. "You know, Jack, you're a lot like Optimus Prime. And that's a good thing. But he has one fault."

"What's that?" Jack whispered.

"He can't let anyone else take the fall. Sometimes, other people need to make sacrifices. And you guys need to let them," Raf answered quietly. "Other people need to be heroes, too."

Jack tried to smile. "Thanks, Raf," he managed to murmur, emotion starting to clog the back of his throat.

A sudden commotion in the hallway directed their attention in that direction. Miko's voice could be plainly heard, and a doctor or two was trying to reason with her.

"Listen, all I was trying to do was get some water! That's it!"

The two boys looked at each other and sighed simultaneously.

"We shouldn't have let her out alone."

"Well how was I supposed to know I was supposed to come get you?! No-one told me!"

Jack shook his head. "We're probably going to be kicked out."

"Mm hmm," Rf agreed.

"And you should sleep." Jack stood up and wiped his hands on his pants. "So, I'll leave you to it, and hopefully placate the doctors and Miko. Keep your fingers crossed."

Raf chuckled his grating laugh and tried to clear his throat. "See you later, Jack."

"Bye." As he approached the door, Jack turned around with an after thought. "Raf?"

"Hmm?" The small boy watched Hack expectantly.

"...welcome back."

Raf's eyes softened. "Thanks, Jack."

Jack smiled and closed the door gently. And even as he had water spilled on him, got yelled at by a doctor, and escorted a soaking and seething Miko home, he had the unquenchable urge to laugh.

-Finis

**Yeah, I know. Cliché, cliché. What can you expect, right?  
So I hope you enjoyed this little whump excursion. I certainly did. Please check out my other stories and leave a review! :D**


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